Who Did This?

Wherever I see that picture — and at times I’ve engaged the Times on Twitter about this — it’s so clear what they’re doing. It’s not about the yeshivah, it’s about the boy. They put the yeshivah in [the background] so they could say it’s about the yeshivah: young boy, black hat, clearly yeshivish, with a yeshivah in the background that probably doesn’t have a single boy with a black hat. More importantly, it’s a frum yeshivah that teaches its children Torah, mitzvos, and a robust secular education.

It’s not about the yeshivos. For those people, it’s absolutely about the boy. It’s about the hatred they have for him, for his family, and for his community. And that’s what I responded to.

What are your thoughts on Mayor de Blasio’s reaction to the recent anti-Semitic violence?

I think it has to be said on principle that any time the mayor hears about another attack or an incident or the more heinous crimes, like what happened in Monsey, what happened in Jersey City, I really believe he feels pained. I think there’s an inability for people to separate who the mayor is as a human being versus the government’s response to what’s going on.

The mayor is an incredible friend to the community, and he has been for a long time. I think it’s fair to say, to my recollection, that there hasn’t been a mayor with such a personal relationship with the frum community. That’s the principle from which everything flows.